Tales of a Thankful Mom

          My house has been quiet since Sunday morning. Too quiet if you ask me. This boy and his sisters are currently spending several weeks with their Dad. So, for now a house that is usually quite noisy is very quiet. I love hearing about my children’s adventures each night when I talk to them on the phone. Some evenings like tonight I hear fun and excitement in their voices. My children were calling me from a trampoline park this evening. They were having the time of their lives. I am so thankful that they are having fun with their Dad, but I will be glad when instead of sitting in a quiet house, the house will be full of laughter and chatter of children at play again.  

    I am blessed with a wonderful community of dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. They encourage me and pray for me. My people get me laughing when I feel like I am about to cry. When I do need to cry they support me. My friends live out the verse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; Weep with those who weep.” They ask about and pray for my children. They remind to lift my eyes, when I feel like I am in over my head. These individuals extend an extra measure of grace right when I need it. I am so thankful for my circle of friends. #fmfparty

           I have family members who think I am a too involved parent. They think that because they did not take their children on walks daily, read bedtime stories or play board games with their children that I’m spoiling my children by focusing on them. I disagree. Enjoying my children’s company is not spoiling them. My goal is not to smother them, but to be a person that they feel safe to be their truest self around, and to point them to the One created them to be the unique individuals that they are becoming. I need to be present, involved, and ready to listen whenever they want to talk. As a mom, I receive a lot of advice much of it unsolicited. I now know I don’t have to second guess myself just because someone disagrees with me.

         I have to admit that I am not the most patient person. I like things happening on my time table, and I have been known to tell my children, especially my day dreamer youngest daughter, to hurry up quite often. This is ironic since I hate feeling rushed. I want to be able to move through life quickly and efficiently. I want to make the most of time. I often become frustrated with myself, when I misplace things that I was just using a few minutes ago. "I\"m sure that I had it right here!" I also get frustrated when I am interrupted by my kids and lose my train of thought, "Now, what was I doing?" Since multitasking is not one of my strong suits, I know I need to embrace a slower pace, even if I feel like I should be doing better at remembering things. My children appreciate when their mother isn\"t running around stressed out asking them if they have seen my phone. I need to remember that my people are far more important than my schedule. I need to

Phillipians 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus '          My Pastor taught on this passage last weekend. Since this is my verse for 2021, when I heard him quote it, I leaned and paid closer attention to what he was saying. Pastor Tim reminded me to be able to forget what is behind, that I needed to be mindful of what I was feeding. I have heard this described as the two dogs analogy. Was I feeding my faith or was I feeding my anxiety? Was I focusing on my fears or my Savior? Was I thinking about my circumstances that I wish were different or was I counting my blessings? Whatever I feed will grow,and flourish, but what I chose not to feed will lessen and shrink. Forgetting what is behind is not living in denial.It is healthy to acknowledege and bring our struggles and he